This week’s Tama County Supervisors meeting started with some contentious discord. The subject of debate was one that has long been bubbling under the surface: the minutes. Auditor Karen Rohrs has been doing her job of taking and drafting minutes for each Board of Supervisors meeting since she took office at the beginning of the year. However, the board has made a few changes throughout the year that have altered how Rohrs writes up her official record. At the start of 2025, when the new supervisors took office, the minutes were longer and more encompassing; at one point filling nine pages. A change was then made to make the minutes shorter and more moderate. At Monday’s meeting, Supervisor Heather Knebel put forth the idea to shorten the minutes once again, and make them nothing but the barest of minimum. With the proposed changes, the minutes would not mention any discussions, but only the motions and decisions of the board. The bare minimum style of minutes is the type of minutes that the last board of supervisors used. The supervisors that the current board ran against with a promise of better and more transparency.

The discussion of this topic started with Knebel explaining her concern, saying, “In these last minutes, and I know we have the agenda next on that, but it said in there that I said on the Laura Wilson Zoning Administrator topic, ‘Laura sometimes follows the ordinance too much.’ That’s all it said. What I actually said, I went back and watched the video, was, ‘Laura sometimes follows the ordinance too much. Which can be the other way around, there are different ways it can be interpreted. Our ordinances are just so old. So, it’s a hard thing to do. The BOA makes the decision, Laura has no decision making and can recommend and say this is where the ordinance is or isn’t being followed. I wasn’t worried about Laura. We put three of the BOA in there, they will research and do what’s right for our county, that is why I’m okay with it.’ And then Mark and I talked about — so that’s exactly what I said, so if it just was ‘Laura follows it too much,’ that makes it look like I’m putting down playing Laura, when my whole context said all this, but again we can’t put the whole transcript [in].”

Rohrs had a pre-written statement on this issue that read, “On Tuesday, Supervisor Knebel called me and accused me of picking and choosing what I put in my minutes during your discussions. When there are discussions on topics, I try to include some of the conversation without going into too much detail. I have never included my own personal thoughts or opinions, but have included statements that were said at the meeting. This is not the first time Supervisor Knebel has wanted or had me change my minutes. Not only has she had me take things out of my minutes in the past, but she has also had me add statements to place her and Supervisor Hilmer in a better light. I did not, nor have I ever had anything in my minutes that was untrue or not said. In the past, this board of supervisors has claimed the previous board of supervisors never discussed their county business in their open meetings. This board of supervisors have discussions in their open meetings, but does not want me to report it in my minutes. How is that any better? If you vote today to have me reduce what I report in my minutes to only include who motioned, seconded, and how the vote went, I don’t think this board should tell the public that they are trying to be transparent. Reporting the bare minimum in minutes is not very transparent. I believe this county deserves to know what happens in their county. Yes, residents may review the video or ask for my voice recording, but you and I both know no one will request the recordings if they aren’t aware of an issue happening in the county by reading my minutes.”

On the subject of transparency, and only the first sentence of her comment being used, Knebel stated, “I’m about transparency, not half-truths.”

Assistant Auditor Michelle Schroeder spoke up on the subject, saying, “I just want to remind everybody that when you all came on as a board, you wanted full transparency, and you guys had Karen putting everything that was said in those minutes. She was making five-six page minutes. Then it was said, Okay, this is taking her a whole week to get minutes done. And so then it was like we are gonna back off, just put a little bit in so that people get the idea of what was said. That’s what she’s been doing. She doesn’t pick and choose. She took the first sentence you said. She wasn’t picking and choosing. To me, that would be like, oh, here halfway through Heather said this, and I’m gonna pull it out of context so nobody knows what it means, and I’m gonna use that. That’s not what she did. She took the first sentence of what you said; that’s just breaking it down. Here’s what each of you said. David had a whole spiel he said, she didn’t put his whole thing in there, word for word. She’s not picking and choosing. She’s not targeting anybody. She’s just doing the minutes to the best of her ability. And I don’t understand why it feels like she’s under attack all of a sudden, that she’s doing something wrong, and she’s not. She has bent over backwards to help this whole board on many issues. I mean, she’s taken over the HR, the insurance, she’s done everything you guys have asked of her, and you are sitting there acting like she’s doing something wrong.”

Knebel cited Iowa code and mentioned that the bare minimum style minutes would be easier for Rohrs. Supervisor David Turner, who was opposed to the idea of the bare minimum minutes, stated that the minutes as they have been were beneficial to the luddites of the county.

After all the discussion, the supervisors decided to let Rohrs keep on writing the minutes as she has been. However, they did approve adding a few sentences of Knebel’s comments to the October 13 meeting minutes regarding Laura Wilson for context.

Other business

Tama County Engineer Ben Daleske reported that they are doing some ditch digging near 260th Street and C Avenue. They are cutting beams and re-graveling H Avenue south of 370th Street, and they have rocked V Avenue North of 115th Street. The spray patcher has been out taking care of a few spots. They are still waiting on the guardrail and the seeding for the E43, duponda project. PCI on S Avenue may pour the deck this week.

The supervisors approved moving a ‘reduced speed ahead’ sign and putting in a 35 MPH sign on Ross/310th Street.

The supervisors approved the funding agreements for the E29 and II Avenue bridge replacements.

The supervisors approved a transfer of $500,000 from the general fund to the health fund, repaying half of the money they borrowed.

The Auditor’s quarterly report was approved.

The Recorder’s quarterly report was approved.

The supervisors approved the union negotiation contract with PJ Greufe and Associates LLC.

Claims: $177,735.58

A citizen stated during the second public comment time that people should be happy that the claims have been so low. Supervisor Hilmer then jokingly stated, “Put that in the paper. That everybody should be happy with us, Mike.”